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Concurrent Education Session

Design Implementation

SAT-B02: Ethical Decarbonization: Eliminating Forced Labor in Timber, Stone, and Rubber Supply Chains

Saturday, October 11, 2025
2:00 PM – 3:15 PM CT
1.25 PDH, LA CES/HSW

Global laws forbid the use of slave labor in the built environment, yet the materials we specify are often heavily reliant on forced labor. We can uphold and support human rights with an understanding of the materials at greatest risk, the global “hot spots,” and practical specification tools.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Learn how prioritizing human rights and ethical procurement can help to meet material health and climate project goals.
  • Deliver valuable insights and relevant resources concerning materials at high risk of exploitation within the building materials supply chain, with emphasis on the timber, stone, and rubber industries.
  • Explore tools such as sample specifications, updated material tracking spreadsheets, relevant certifications, and research that practitioners can use to advance ethical and transparent supply chains.
  • Learn how the material choices we make and specify have both a sustainable environmental impact and a social one, for the people manufacturing and producing the products.